


Binary

by skatzaa



Category: Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, Missing Scene, Movie: Star Wars: A New Hope, Treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-30
Updated: 2019-08-30
Packaged: 2020-09-30 19:56:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20452697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skatzaa/pseuds/skatzaa
Summary: Old Ben has a talk with a familiar astromech.





	Binary

**Author's Note:**

  * For [WritLarge](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritLarge/gifts).

Ben watches Luke race off in the landspeeder, then folds his hands into the sleeves of his cloak. He doesn’t know whether to blame the boy’s burning recklessness on Padmé or Anakin, but he has a feeling that it's going to be a persistent problem.

Provided, of course, that Luke isn’t walking straight into an ambush.

Ben sighs and lowers himself until he’s seated on the side of an overturned Gronk droid. He shakes his head, surveying the dead around him. Such needless violence… It has Vader written all over it, but at least the Sith himself isn’t on the planet. Ben may be old, but his senses aren’t so worn down by the desert sands that he can’t notice the presence of a Sith, especially one as powerful as Vader.

The astromech rolls up and flashes its sensor light at him accusingly. It beeps, [You fed him a load of banthashit about his father, you old coot.]

Ben eyes the droid.

“I’m afraid my knowledge of binary isn’t what it once was, my little friend,” he says. “Luke told me you’ve mistaken me for your master. I’m sorry they’re missing.”

The droid rocks angrily, letting out a shrill whistle.

[Poodoo brained Jedi!] the droid beeps. [The galaxy’s gone to shit, and what are you doing? Sitting around gathering dust, that’s what.]

Ben feels the fight go out of him. He reaches out and places his hand on Artoo’s pitted dome, because who else could it truly be?

“I was protecting Luke,” he says, feeling very old and very tired. “Leia had an entire planet to defend her. Luke has me.”

An entire planet, and still in the hands of the Empire. Ben would curse Bail for allowing her to become entangled in the Rebellion, but Leia shares the same reckless parents as Luke. He wouldn’t be surprised if Leia got involved  _ despite _ Bail and Breha’s firm insistence otherwise.

_Skywalkers,_ he thinks, _will most certainly be the death of me._

The droid subsides somewhat. [Padmé would have wanted—]

“Padmé is dead,” Ben says firmly. No use wondering what the dead would think of the living; it will only bring grief.

Artoo beeps mournfully. Ben pats its dome.

“Bail truly never wiped your memory?” he asks.

Artoo whistles a negative.

“Hm.” Ben moves to stroke his goatee with his free hand. All the  _ information _ available in this droid’s databanks, dating back to before the Clone Wars, It’s little wonder Vader wants to get his hands on it so badly. He glances over to Threepio, tottering across the sand. “And—?”

Artoo laughs.

“Yes, I suppose I do deserve that.”

He sighs again and pulls himself to his feet. Glances down at Artoo and says, “Luke will be back soon.”

Artoo beeps skeptically. Ben ignores it.

“While he’s gone, we should burn the Jawas.” He looks out across the destruction. “They are a simple people who did not deserve this. And then we shall head to Mos Eisley. We have all done our best these past twenty years, but I fear events will come to a head very soon.”

He brushes sand off his cloak as Artoo rocks, getting aggravated again.

“Do you remember our friend Chewbacca the Wookie? I hear he’s based out of Tatooine these days.”

[How could you  _ possibly _ hear—] Artoo begins, but Ben wanders toward Threepio, once again playing the role of the doddering old hermit. Artoo lets loose a long string of curses that Ben doesn’t bother to interpret.

“Do you still have your blowtorch?” he calls over his shoulder, and smiles slightly at the droid’s rage-filled whistle. Two can play the innocent cluelessness act.

Artoo might have learned all its dirty moves from Anakin, but Anakin learned them from  _ Ben. _ He’s more than a match still for a droid, no matter how much personality it has. 

It’s the little joys in life, after all. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
